The Night Before
by Ophelia1
Summary: I think it's G... anyway a short little ditty about the night before Cedric died... the night that keeps Cho up still, thinking of what she could have done differently... She can't sleep, and neither can Harry, and they both go to the Quidditch field to l


The Night Before

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A/N: Hmm… what if Cho had the everlasting memory on her mind that the night before Cedric died she had gotten into a fight with him? Everyone knows how I like giving Cho a horrible life. (Taking Tufts of Hair, Without You) The idea came to me when I was thinking of a past relationship, and how I broke up with the guy because we always got into these ludicrous fights over the stupidest things. Anyway… as always, read and review!

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Harry Potter couldn't sleep for the life of him. It wasn't because he had an adrenaline rush, waiting for the first Quidditch game in over a year at Hogwarts. No, it was something else. The night Cedric died kept replaying over and over in his head, like the horrible Pac Man music. Every time Harry tried to think of what he could have done differently, to save Cedric's life, and before long, many more. Over the summer he had received old issues of _The Daily Prophet_ from Ron once his family was finished with them. All that they ever talked about was all the deaths Voldemort had caused in the previous days. Because of Harry's pride and kindness, Cedric was dead and Voldemort was at the height of his power, more powerful than he had been when Harry first defeated him. Harry pulled on his scarlet cloak over his pajamas and got out of bed. He headed towards the common room, woke up the Fat Lady and told her the password, and headed outside towards the Quidditch pitch. 

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Cho Chang looked over at the picture on her nightstand. Even if she was only fifteen at the time, she had been in love with Cedric Diggory. He had been the world to her. Cedric was handsome, kind, funny, popular, a jock. Everything and anything Cho could ever want in a guy. Cho closed her eyes and took in a deep breath to keep the tears from coming yet another night. Flying was what she needed. Cho opened her eyes and pulled on her cloak. A good fly always helped her on these sorts of nights…

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Cho noticed a red blur going back and forth in the field. _Harry_, she thought. She wasn't in the mood to talk to Harry. It was a chilly night and she pulled her cloak tighter around her as she headed farther down the pitch, away from Harry. Cho remembered who else used to come and fly after a bad day - Cedric. The memory of him overcame Cho and she lost control of her broom and came tumbling out of the sky. Cho screamed and her scream was silenced only once she had hit the cold, hard, dew-covered grass below her. 

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"Oh! I know a good oxymoron! Cho is smart!" Cedric, Cho, and a couple other seventh year Hufflepuffs were sitting around in the library. Cedric was helping them with their homework and one of his friends improve a History of English essay due the next day. 

Cho gave Cedric a look. "I more than likely have a higher IQ than yours since the only thing on your brain at any given moment is how good your hair looks."

At this, Cedric stood up. "Think only of myself, eh?" Cedric couldn't think of a comeback, he was so shocked.

"Yeah, you do!" Cho yelled, also standing up. Madam Pince was on the other side of the library shelving new books so she didn't hear the kids.

"It was a joke, Cho. Can't you take a simple joke? I think you're very intelligent, among other things," Cedric pleaded, trying to patch Cho's feelings.

"Maybe you should have told me that instead of that I'm not very smart." With this, Cho grabbed her bag and stormed out of the library. 

"Cho! Cho, come back!" Cedric raced after Cho, but she was gone.

Cho stormed down the hall, tears running down her face. People who were loitering in the hall moved when they saw her coming. Cho sobbed the Ravenclaw password to the door without a latch and it flung open, letting her inside. She bounded up the steps and into her room, where without bothering to get undressed, flung herself into her bed and cried herself to sleep.

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Harry saw Cho fall from the sky and turned his Firebolt towards her, at speeds the broom hadn't reached before. He saw the clump of dark blue on the ground with black hair all around it. Harry rolled Cho over and checked to see if she was still breathing. He knew that if he took her up to the hospital wing, they would both be in trouble for flying while not at a Quidditch practice or game, and for being out at night, which was even worse punishment. Harry decided that they could make up some story and sat beside her, making sure nothing bad happened until she regained conciseness. 

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_Six hours later, Cho awoke with a headache and feeling stuffy. She looked at her watch - 1:26 A.M. Then she remembered why she felt so horrible - she had fought with Cedric. Cho needed to get her feelings off her mind and decided to go for a fly. Flying helped with everything. Cho pulled on her dark blue coat and tip-toed quietly out the door and through the darkened common room where the fire was now reduced to a pile of smoldering ashes. She silently pushed open the door and headed into the cold air of the hall and began walking towards the Great Hall so she could walk down to the Quidditch pitch._

Cho trained her thoughts on which way to go, rather than the words exchanged the past evening. The ghosts weren't out as usual this night, but Cho had to be very quiet still because she knew Mrs. Norris was probably lurking around somewhere, and she couldn't take the chance that Mrs. Norris was asleep. Finally Cho reached the great oak doors and pushed them open, letting in a gust of summer chill. Cho pushed her hair out of her face and headed towards the broom shed. The moon lit her way so she didn't have to fumble with her wand. 

Within minutes Cho was up fifty feet in the air, turning this way and that. For once no one else was around so Cho was free to do as she pleased on her broom. Or was there someone else in the air with her… she saw a yellow blur cut through the moon's light. Cedric, Cho thought. Just the person she didn't want to see. She turned her broom the opposite direction and headed up higher in the air so hopefully Cedric wouldn't notice her. 

Cho felt someone following her. She turned around abruptly on her broom, almost falling off. No one was behind her. Cho straightened herself out and continued on. 

"Cho!" Cho turned around to see who had yelled her name, even though she knew exactly who - Cedric Diggory. 

"Cho! Wait up!" Cedric yelled again. In a way Cho did want to make up so she did stop, even though her brain was yelling not to. 

"Cho! I'm glad I'm able to talk to you!" Cedric gasped, out of breath. "Listen, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I was joking and I now feel really bad about it. You're very intelligent and very talented and very pretty. I can't stand you being mad at me. Will you please forgive me?" Cho smiled and sighed.

"Yes, I'll forgive you." Cho slid over onto Cedric's broom and kissed him. "I'm sorry I blew up like that. I just don't like people making comments about me that I like."

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"Cedric," Cho mumbled, opening her eyes slowly and looking up to see Harry leaning over her. She tried to sit up and felt very dizzy. Harry put his arm across her back and helped her get up. "Thank you."

"No prob. You seemed to be out for a while, though. Feeling okay?" Harry asked.

"Uh-huh," Cho lied. She felt like she needed to puke her guts out. The world was spinning all around her. Cho held it in, though.

"You want to go to the hospital wing? We'll both get in boatloads of trouble but if you think you need to…" Harry trailed off.

"I'm okay, just help me up off this freezing ground," Cho said, regaining her train of thought. 

Harry bent back down and took Cho's hand. He was extremely nervous too, but it seemed almost automatic. Cho stumbled upright but didn't let go of Harry's hand as he walked her back up to the school. 

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A/N II: I figured I should end it there while I'm ahead. You can imagine whatever you like, now, such as that Cho and Harry fell in love and got married or the next day George Weasley came and asked Cho out and she said yes and Harry, heartbroken, turned Dark. It's your cup of tea, not mine. I hope this was better than my other romances because in this one the characters take it a bit slower, like they should. Anyway… much thanks to Rugs, my Himalayan, for laying here watching me type and not mewing. As always, since you've made it this far, review! Later!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything since I am a poor child who needs a well-paying job with lots of money. JKR owns everything!


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